Tuesday, January 24, 2017

8th Grade Projects - Roaring 20s Continued

Hello folks!

We are still learning about the Roaring 20's, and students will continue to work on their magazines.  After getting into writing/designing the magazines with the students, the middle school teachers and I realized that the original time we allotted was not quite enough, so we are extending the deadline for the magazines to be finished to Monday. Students will have all day Thursday to work on their magazines.

I have been very impressed with the depth of many of the topics your students have chosen! And it has been enjoyable reading their articles as they are writing them. I am excited to see the final products your students produce!

On Monday, the students will have a vocabulary test and a short essay test about what made the 1920's "roaring."

Until next week, when we will be starting the Great Depression!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

8th Grade Projects Update

Hello parents of 8th graders!!

I am so sorry that I haven't been consistent with posting on the blog. I have been remiss in my duty, and I will work this semester to diligently post on the blog weekly. It always helps if you comment so that I can see that people are reading the blog! 😉

We have finished with Science and are now moving on to Social Studies, which I am very excited about! This semester we will be studying the 1920s and Great Depression in 3rd quarter and World War II in the 4th quarter. I am so ecstatic that we get to spend so much time on these eras, since most of the time in history classes they get so little time and focus even though they are so interesting!

Last week we reviewed what happened during WWI because so much of what happens in the decades following directly relates to what happened during the war. Then we started learning about the Roaring 20s. I introduced students to the project, for which students will work in assigned groups of 4 to write and design a magazine. Each student will be responsible for writing an article about a specific topic related to the 1920s, such as flappers or organized crime. Then the group will put their articles together to make a cohesive magazine, for which they will also design a cover and table of contents. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the great articles and designs your students write and create!

The magazines will be due next Thursday the 26th, and students will also have their vocab test as well as a short essay test on that day. I feel confident that students will do well on their assessments.

If you have any questions, please email me. However, I encourage you to have your students come and talk to me to build up their independence and sense of responsibility. They benefit so much from dealing with their issues themselves, and it takes it off of your plate as well. Just something to consider.

Thank you so much for raising such amazing students. I feel honored to teach them!